Heavy-duty trailer



Nov. 2, 1948. E. A. REHBERGER 2,452,681 l HEAVY DUTY TRAILER Filed June2s, 1947 e sheets-sheet 1 Off 117i .1.15:

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Nov. 2, 1948. EL A. warm-ERGERl 2,452,681

HEAVY DUTY TRAILER' i Filed June 28, 1947 K v Sheets-Sheet 2 39 Zi@ g5NOV 2, 1948- l E. A. REHBERGER ,2,452,681

HEAVY DUTY TRAILER kFiled June 28, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 BY f E, A.REHBERGER HEAVY DUTY TRAILER y Nov. 2, 1948.

v6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 28. 1947 Nov. 2, 1948. E. A. REI-:BERGERHEAVY DUTY TRAILER Filed June 28. 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 2, 1948. E.A. REHBERGER HEAVY DUTY TRAILER 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed June 28., 1947mi@ 5y 092275K Patented Nov. 2, 1948 UNITED STATES maar o-FFICEHEAVY-DUTY? TRAILER Edward'A'. Rehberger, South Orange.` N. J

Application` June 28, 19497, Seriali 753,33??- (CL, zlib-851)r 1-1Claims.

1 Thisv invention relates to a. heavy duty trai-1er, especially adaptedfor loading, carrying, and., unloading large tractors, scrapers,bulldozers', and the; like. Practically all of. these large, machineshave caterpillar tractors or wheels` having metallicy teeth thereonwhich are injurious to practically all highways, and the problem oftransport;- ing such machinery has becomer` quite a problem.

Itis, therefore, the principal object.. of my' invention to provide atrailer than can be readily attached to the rear end ofr a suitableautomotive vehicle, such as a truck, and one in which the machine orapparatus tov be transported. can be easily loaded and unloaded onto thetrailer'.

Another object of my invention is to provide a trailer for the purposedescribed which is very sturdy, yet can be producedY at av relativelylow cost.

A further object is to provide a trailer having two sections or frameswhich are so related that one may be rotatable about the otherin such amanner as to make it easy to load' the apparatus onto` the trailer.

These and other objects will be discernedA from a reading of thefollowing specification taken in connection with the annexed. drawingswherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the framework of the trailer with ltheplatform members. removed; the operating wheels and the laxles beingshown in dotted lines.

Figure 2 is a plan View of the loading or"A platform frame comprisingone, of the sections of. the trailer.

Figure 3 is a skeleton view of they hauling'v or chassis frameworkvwithout thel supporting wheels.

Figure 4 is a side elevation ofl theV complete trailer with the extremerear end, which I term a ramp, in its stop position.

Figure 5 is a view of Figure 4 looking at; the front end, i. e. fromleft toright.

Figure 6 is a View of the rearend of. Figure 4', i. e., looking fromright' to left, the. wheels being shown in dotted position.

Figure 7 is a View similar to Figure Ll' but with the rear end or rampin itsA normal or horizontal position. Y

Figure 8i is a View similar to Figure 75 but with the 1oading orplatform section orframetil'tedl so that the ramp is in contact with theterrain for loading purposes.

Figure 9 is a section on the line H-Sof Figure 1 with the ramp in normalposition as in Figure '75.

Figure 10 is a section on the line; Iii-H3- of"Figure 1, but with theramp elevated to nearly its full stop position.

Figure l1 is a, view'on. the linev H-H ofv Figure 1., but with theloading frame' tilted into' loading position.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary section on the line ifi;- i-E oi Figure, 1showing the.v means. for locking the-ramp inloadingV position..

Figure-13 is a View of thecontrol rodv for operating he lockingmechanism shown in- Figure 12.

l1; ure 14 is a part elevational and part sec tiene View taken.; atthe:front end of the; trailer showing, the positioning' rollers assupporting the 1 ntfs-nd of; ther trailer when. detached from. avehicle; and. further; showing. a gear corr-,e birra. n. for. raisingthe front end oi; the: trailers@ as to bring the attachment device i-nproper'algfu" nient with the pulling vehicle.

Figure '5 is apart; sectionalandv part elena.- tienal: View of the gearcombination shown in if'igurc 14- the drawings wherein like numbersireferto corresponding parts; in. the various, viewsg. thi-e trailer to@be described inciudes two'. sections or frames.. The hauling. orschassis: frame isy gener'- aily designated by theletterfH.. The skeletonof which is shown in Tigure.A The loadingor'plat.-

form section oris: generally designated: by

the letterL. Frame: El has twoglongtudinaliy. eietending side member.vgli-.ders II and: i preferably in thel form' of' channel irons: willich`have their end'slturned inwardly toward'each: other and `nchoredtogether asiby weld-ing throughv the inedn of suitable type yplatessuchi as 3 and i Also' to: this front end" is fastenedaszby welding anattachment deviceV 5' in the form ofA van eye bolt. forward end' alsocarries a rack 6i towhichis fastenedv a positioning roll in' theform ofa pair of enna-iitrucks l'. A suitable gear combination comp-risingapinion' and associated-worm screws 8f, operated byfshaft Siandcranklilfl serve-to raise and lower the front end off the frame as well as.lthe frame L whichfis fastened thereto in a manner tobe` laterYdescribed.

This front end of`=` the frame- H also carries a hydraulic pump i|`which isconnected byfa pipe |21' toacylinder ['3, the' purposek of whichwill' be later described.

As will be Seen: from Figure 3', the side girders I- and 2 areY anchoredtogether4 by a plurality of cross bars Mi welded thereto. At the rearend: of the framefHiis carried: a. rod.. iii: on therends it; andI'iof.r whichdspivote'd' the frame L to be presently described..Preferably the. rod E5 is. located in: a vertical plane over theaxlaearrying one set of road wheels. The rear en'd-l off frame H also;tapers downwardly (see Figures 9andf1'0 and;y provided withl laterallyextending flanges` lidi and I'9 which assist inv supportingfth-eendofthe frame support springsf'carriedfby one. of the wheeliA axies;

The*4 loading orv platform.- frameiH is; up @ii two; pair'r of, sidemembers' or girders. 2U and: 2 Is, preferably. in the iormiofi channelirons. similar` to the girders Il and Each. pair offgirderalifand areanchored together by a plurality of braces 22', preferabiy.v weldedlinto-position.. At the. iront end of the frame L there is located astrap or cross bar 23 across the channel irons which acts to anchor allfour of the girders 25 and 2l together and to act as a front stop forthe platform which can be made of planks transversely positioned acrossthe girders. Side stops 24, in the form of angle irons may be utilizedas shown in Figure 2. The outer girders are provided with movable linksfor the purpose of receiving binding chains or ropes, or some holdingmeans for holding the structure onto the platform.

The rear end of the frameL terminates in a ramp 25 which may have a woodsurface terminating at its edge in the form of a channel iron 21 and aprotecting metallic strip 28. The ramp `26 is pivoted at 29 to the sidegirders 2B and is locked into position by latches 30, one associatedwith each of the outside girders 20. Each latch 30 is pivoted on itsstud 3| carried by a support 32. Each latch 3U has an arm 33 to which isconnected a rod 34 that in turn is connected to an arm 35 fastened to across rod 36. 'Io an varm 4I fastened to rod 36 is attached a pull rod31 which extends to the front of the frame L and terminates in a handle38 so that a pull on the handle 38 vwill cause the pull rod 31, throughthe medium of the rod 4l to turn the rod 36 and cause the release of thelatches 30 to free the ramp 25 whereby it may be elevated through themedium of a plunger 39 operated by a hydraulic cylinder 40 pivoted on apin 6| carried by a support 62. The cylinder 40 is connected by a pipe42 with the hydraulic pump Il carried by the frame H, as heretoforedescribed. A spring 43 has one end anchored to the frame L and the otherend is fastened to an attachment 44 secured to the rod 31 so that whenthe handle 38 is released, spring 43 will return the latches 30 to theirnormal ramp locking position.

The frame H pivotally carries a locking or latching arm 45 that engagesthe cross member 23 of the frame L. The latch is released by a handle 46so the frame may be tilted in a manner to be presently described. Aspring 41 acting on a headed stud 48 that is connected to the latch 45serves to prevent the latch from being released from the lockingposition while the trailer is in motion, should the locking pin 49,connected to a chain 5S be rattled out of locking position. When thelatch 45 is pulled out of locking position by the handle 45, after rstpulling out the locking pin 49, the pin 49 will be inserted through theholes in the latch member support 5! and back of the latch 45 to hold itin released position while the operator is tilting the frame L.

This tilting operation is performed through the medium of a lever 52which actuates the hydraulic device l l. In order to tilt the frame Lthe valves 54 and 55 are closed and valve 53 is opened. The operation ofthe handle 52 will cause the fluid in the hydraulic cylinder l l toforce the fluid through the pipe i 2 into the cylinder I3 and cause itsplunger 55 to move upwardly against the L frame cross bar 23a and causethe frame L to be tilted about its pivot l5 (see Figure 11), therebyplacing the frame L in loading position, it being assumed that the ramp26 is in the position shown in Figure 11. The cylinder I3 is pivoted at6B to the support member 13a so that its plunger 56 may move outwardlytherefrom in a straight line. Preferably the plunger 56 terminates in aball or circular formation to better follow the movement of the frame L.To lower the platform the valve 54 is closed and valve 55 is openedalong With 53 which is already in open 4 position. This will allow theframe or platform L to turn to horizontal position.

In order to raise the tail gate or ramp, the valves 53 and 55 are closedand valve 54 is open and then the pump handle is operated, it beingassumed that the handle 38 is operated to release the latches 3i). 'I'olower the tail gate or ramp 26, the valve 53 is closed and valves 54 and55 are opened and if the tail gate should be in the position shown inFigure 5, it will automatically return to horizontal position. If theramp is not in the position shown in Figures 4 and 6, a slight actuationof the handle is necessary to start the downward motion.

It may be mentioned in passing that when the frame L is tilted in themanner described the wheels, especially the forward set, will not belifted from the terrain because of an equalizer construction illustratedin dotted lines in Figure 1 and designated by the letter1 E. The springsbeing designated by the letter S. The equalizer arrangement, however,forms no part of my present invention, and neither does the constructionof the wheels, their axles and associated parts including the brakes,and hence need not be described, except to say that connecting members51 are shown in the left hand end of Figure 1 for connecting lines froma pulling vehicle to operate the brakes on the wheels of the trailer. Itmay be further mentioned in passing that for lighter work only one axlewith cooperative wheels may be used. It lwill be noted that the Wheelsare positioned between the side girders 2l] and 2l of the frame L. Itmay be also noted that the handle l0, when not being used is adapted tobe moved through a swivel arrangement 58, and turned so as to be placedin a retaining hook 59.

From what has been said, it will be obvious that in a large structure ofthis kind many of the details may be varied without departing from thespirit of my invention or the scope of the impending claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A trailer including a hauling or chassis frame having a road wheelstructure attached at one end and hauling means at the other end with apositioning roll near the latter end, a loading or platform type offrame pivotally carried on the rst mentioned frame with hydraulic meanshand operative from in front of the end of the loading frame for tiltingthe loading frame about the pivot so its rear extremity may be broughtinto engagement With the terrain whereby structures to be loaded, may bereadily moved onto it, said means then being operable to bring theloading frame back to normal horizontal position and means for anchoringthe loading frame in normal load carrying position.

2. A trailer as defined in claim l further characterized in that thehauling and loading structures are made of straight girders and theloading end of the frame has a combined loading and stop ramp With meanslocated at the front end of the load'ng frame for actuating devices atthe rear of the loading frame to move said ramp into either of its twooperative positions and also for actuating the tilting means.

3. A trailer as defined in claim 1 further characterized in that thepivot comprises a rod eX- tending across the end of the hauling frameinto bearings on the loading frame preferably in a vertical plane overthe axle of a set of the road Wheels.

4. A trailer as defined in claim 1 further characterized in that themeans for tilting the loading frame includes a cylinder pivotallycarried by the hauling frame just forward of the forward set of roadwheels and a plunger associated with the cylinder for operativelyengaging the loading frame and hydraulic means carried by the haulingframe adjacent the front end of the loading frame for activating saidcylinder plunger.

5. A trailer as defined in claim l further characterized in that thepositioning roll includes a pair of spaced rollers attached to a rackoperatively carried by the hauling frame with a gear combination in meshwith the rack and means for operating the gear combination whereby thewhole front end of the trailer may be raised and lowered and furthermeans associated with the wheel structure for allowing the whole irontend of the trailer to be raised and lowered Without lifting the wheelsper Se off the terrain.

6. A trailer including a pair of frames, a hauling or chassis frame anda loading or platform type frame, the loading frame comprising a pair ofspaced longitudinally extending girders on opposite sides to receive theplatform members with cross brace members at least between said pairs ofgirders, the hauling frame having a pair of spaced longitudinallyextending girders positioned between the inner of said pairs of girdersof the loading frame, a plurality of road Wheels carried by one cr moreaxles transversely positioned and operatively connected to the inner endof said hauling frame, the wheels being located between said pairs ofspaced girders of the loadg ing frame, the loading frame being tiltableon the hauling frame the latter of which has means at its front end forattachment to a hauling vehicle and hydraulic means on the hauling frameand hand operr from front of the loading frame for tilting the loadingframe.

'7. A trailer as set forth in claim 6 further defined in that theloading frame has a structure pivotally mounted at its rear end withmeans having a part extending to the front end of the loading frame formoving said structure from its nomal ramp position to a position whereit will serve as a load stop, said structure being moved by the sameapparatus in the front end of the trailer, that controls the tilting ofthe loading i frame to lramp acting position when the loading frame istilted.

8. A trailer as set forth in claim 6 further dened in that the girdersfor both frames are preferably in the form of channel irons, thoseforming the hauling frame having their forward ends turned inwardlytoward each other and anchored together as by welding, the hauling at-Number Number tachment means being fastened to the junction of theseends, a rollable support also fastened to this end and having screwoperative means for raising and lowering this end of the trailer, theforward end of the loading frame terminating back of said hauling framekend and means at this terminating end for locking the two framestogether.

9. A trailer as set forth in claim 6 further dened in that the girdersfor both frames are preferably in the form of channel irons, thoseforming the hauling frame having their rear ends tapering downward andhaving laterally extending flanges to assist in supporting the ends offrame support springs carried by a wheel axle.

l0. A trailer as set forth in claim 6 further deiined in that the outergirders of the loading frame have side stop members extendinglongitudinally of their length along their edges While these same outergirders have a plurality of attachment means for binding the load to theloading frame.

1l. A trailer as set forth in claim 6 further delined in that theloading frame has a ramp pivotally mounted on its rear end, latcheslocated on at least the outer girders of said loading frame to hold theramp in its loading position, means for releasing said latches includinga rod extending to the front end of said frame with means at the end ofthe rod for operating it to release the latches, a spring connected tosaid rod for returning it and the latches to locking position andhydraulic means connected to the ramp with means at the front end of thetrailer for activating said hydraulic means to cause said means to movethe ramp to load stop position.

EDWARD A. REHBERGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Falco Dec. 13, 1921 Williams Dec. 20,1932 Fitch Nov. 23, 1937 Jarmin et al. Sept. 19, 1939 Reid May 11, 1943Hultquist Dec. 5, 1944 Baldwin Nov. 19, 1946 Ausherman Apr. 8, 1947FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Apr. 30, 1936 Great BritainDec. 30, 1937

